Welcome to Paradise

Came home the other day and found this sign taped to my front door.

"Welcome To Paradise!!!" it said. lol

So apparently my little brother had decided to surprise me. He had cleaned the house, did the dishes AND did the laundry. WOW! Felt like I won the lotto. lol

I left the sign up for the next few days because frankly, I needed to be reminded that life is good. For the last few weeks I've been all revved up for celebrating the New Year and going to Vegas but it seems like all hell has been breaking loose, lately. And since I've been back in Cali it seems like everytime I turn around something is going wrong with somebody close to me. I know there are things that are simply beyond my control but I'm a nurturer and it kills me because I just want to see everyone happy.

I am trying to stay positive, though. And I'm realizing that happiness is not for the faint of heart. It's really easy to be pissed off, throw up a wall and say forget it. But to maintain happiness, you first have to be bold enough to stake your claim in it. Then you have to be strong enough to keep the faith when things don't go as planned. And sometimes you gotta be willing to get down and dirty, fighting for it by any means necessary.

So that's where I am now. Fighting to turn this thing around and start the New Year off right. Fighting to keep my head up and keep my eyes on the prize. Fighting for my piece of paradise, even if right now it only exists between the four walls of my own house. (Gotta start somewhere, right? lol )

Wishing you all love, peace and happiness in 2009 and beyond :) Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and add your funny, insightful, intelligent comments. Bless you!

(This pic was taken early in the evening before the streets got so crowded we could barely move!)

How Do You Measure Success?

When I was an undergrad I had a professor who asked our class to write down a purpose statement for our lives. He said it should be one sentence long and we should carry it in our wallets so whenever we were faced with life decisions, we could take it out and evaluate its relevance in relation to our purpose. So I wrote out my purpose statement and I stuffed it in my backpack.

Over the next few years that piece of paper was how I measured my progress. It got me through internships, volunteer positions, and eventually full-time jobs. It even influenced the circle of friends I chose to be around. It was referred to so much, it eventually became crumpled and torn and I think one day I must have thrown it out not knowing what it meant, anymore. I have not thought of that piece of paper in years.

Sometimes now, I find myself struggling to resist the urge to judge myself by other people’s standards of success. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I don’t see the beautiful, confident woman inside of me. Sometimes that woman’s reflection is gone and instead I see the self-conscious 15-year-old from years ago, and she’s picking me apart with her accusing eyes.

“Hey!” she says. “I thought we were supposed to be rich by now. What happened??? And where is our husband, the big house and our 2.5 kids??? And Oprah should’ve interviewed us by now! Dang! What is taking us so long to do extraordinary things??? And OH SNAP! I know you didn’t buy that outfit from the clearance rack! What are you doing to us???” lol

Times like these, I find myself wishing that I could reach for that crumpled piece of paper just to shut her up. lol I don’t remember exactly what it said but I know it didn’t say anything about fame or money or titles. I know it didn’t mention name brands, homes or Oprah. In reality, I know that I have nice things and I have already accomplished many of the goals I have set for myself. But still, the ghost of a teenager haunts my mirror =p

This is why my #1 resolution for 2009 is to rewrite my purpose statement. Just like before, it will speak to my strengths and what kind of impact I want to make on the world. And whenever I find myself envying the “success” of my peers, I will take it out and remind myself that I am capable of defining my own path to success.

What about you? How do you measure success?

Here's a tip for writing your own purpose statement:

Focus on the end result that you hope to achieve; not the action. For example: instead of “My purpose is to be an actress,” you should write “My purpose is to inspire or enlighten my audience.” The second statement is better because it will help you choose your projects based on your reason for completing your actions (in other words: it will help you to remember your purpose). Words are powerful! Play around with it until you get the wording just right for your life's purpose. Good luck :)